Charging handles are another core part of the AR-15 platform that can either be fine in their stock (read the original) configuration or maxed out in terms of functionality and form. However as I often like to say, when you’re kitting out your rifle for function you should really take special care with selecting optimal aftermarket parts that not only look good but more importantly feel good and are easy to operate. Think of aftermarket parts on your AR-15 as being like a good keyboard, mouse, and monitor - these are things you’re constantly interacting with and touching and therefore you’ll want to make sure that they’re of good quality and help keep you performing at your desired level.
One of the hottest new trends when it comes to charging handles is “gas-defeating” charging handles. With suppressors becoming more prevalent within the civilian shooting industry as standard items on rifles, a lot of people are searching for a quick and easy way to mitigate some of that gas blowback you’ll experience during suppressed shooting. Essentially these aftermarket charging handles take one or more approaches in order to eliminate the tiny amount of gas that escapes near where the charging handle and upper receiver normally lock up. However, in my opinion, if you’re experiencing a lot of gas blowback, you should probably look at how your rifle is put together rather than trying to fix it with an aftermarket charging handle first. Most of the gas coming back from the suppressor is going to escape first through the gas relief ports on the bolt carrier group, and then through the ejection port, and the tiny gap between the upper and lower - if you’re uncertain of this just look at your most shot suppressed rifle and notice all the gunk that has started to leech out from the gaps.
Despite this trend, the main reason most people get aftermarket charging handles is primarily for these two. First, most people really want to be able to operate their rifle (clear malfunctions, charge a dry rifle, etc), a lot of modern optics like LPVOs hang over where the charging handle is and this can make it difficult to operate using the traditional method - using both sides of the charging handle. Most aftermarket charging handles are ambidextrous by nature and this means that they not only help out our southpaw friends but also make the changing handle more functional overall by increasing the number of ways you can use it aside from having to use only the left side latch to get things moving. There are so many good options on the market that you almost can’t go wrong with any of them.
The second reason most people get charging handles is to enhance the look of their rifles. The Mil-Spec charging handle is quite bland and boring and blends in with the rest of the rifle. If you’ve started down the path of adding functional yet aesthetic upgrades to your rifle, something that pops a bit more like the Tyrant CNC NexGen Charging handle should help you out with that but will also add a lot of functionality to the rifle with its ambidextrous design.
No matter what kind of charging handle you pick, you should always first optimize it for the function of your specific situation. After that, any number of gimmicks and features that you want are pretty much free-game. Like always we’d like to hear from you guys about what types and kinds of charging handles you like to use. Do you think Ambi charging handles are still where it's at or are people gravitating back towards regular mil-spec charging handles? Let us know what you think!
